Five fascinating facts about the human brain

The brain is a complex organ. It aids balancing, breathing, growth, and controls body temperature.

Following are some fascinating facts about the human brain.

Damage of the brain might not kill you but may change your behaviour

Phineas Gage, an American railroad construction foreman who had survived a deadly accident in which a massive iron rod penetrated through his head. He had minor physical injuries except that he got blinded in one eye. But there’s a twist in the story. His friends noticed that from being a polite, humble and thoughtful person, he had become rude, odious and carefree. This was when scientists understood that damage to the prefrontal area of the brain could lead to behavioral changes.

Classification of the types of memories

Sensory memory

It’s the first to penetrate the brain. It lasts for a few seconds, and our senses accelerate them. This helps the brain to build up a sense of your environment.

Short-term memory

It acquires your memories at a specific moment. It is known to have a limited capacity of seven items at a time which stays up to 15-30 seconds.

Long-term memory

This helps you to travel back in time. Also, is said to have the power of predicting the future.

Teenagers can’t help but behave like teenagers.

People have pointed fingers on teenager’s behavior since the time of Socrates. But professor Sarah-Jayne Blakemore, author of Inventing Ourselves: The Secret Life of the Teenage Brain, discussed how important it is to nurture the developing brain of a teenager and to celebrate its imperfections.

Mirror neurons assist us in feeling empathy

Try sticking out your tongue in front of a baby, and you’ll notice the baby imitating you. This is because these hormones are present in the emotion relating parts of the brain. Giacomo Rizzolatti discovered mirror hormones in 1991. These get triggered when you move, or the other person moves.

The brain can reconstruct and rewire itself

Once it was believed that the brain has a fixed size with a fixed number of cells and neuronal circuits. But after years of hard work and dedication, we now know that the brain is capable of compensating itself when suffering from an injury. This process is also known as neuroplasticity and is responsible for redistribution of new cells and learning of new skills and techniques.

Above were some mind-blowing, bewitching facts about the human brain. Hope this article helped you admire this organ even more.